‘CLOSER,” an impeccably acted and directed – but quite icy – portrait of deception and betrayal starring Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen and Jude Law, is the sort of movie that is easier to respect than to like.

Nichols, a longtime stage director and expert at filming plays from “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1966) to last year’s brilliant TV version of “Angels in America,” is here tackling a raw and volatile play with cracking dialogue, adapted by Patrick Marber from his London stage hit.

One character describes himself as a “clinical observer of the human condition,” and the same could be said of this pessimistic and somewhat claustrophobic film, which keeps emotions at arm’s length.

There are only four characters, and we first observe Dan (Jude Law), an obituary writer and aspiring novelist, flirting with Alice (Natalie Portman) on a busy street in London – until she accidentally walks into a car and he takes her to the hospital for outpatient treatment.

A year passes – passage of time is indicated in lines of dialogue – and Dan is posing for photographer Anna (Roberts) for a head shot for his novel.

Though by this point he’s living with Alice, that doesn’t stop Dan from flirting with Anna and even kissing her.

Then, in the play and movie’s most scandalous scene, randy Dan is in an online sex chat room, where he pretends to be a woman named “Anna” – and types out extremely graphic come-ons to Larry (Clive Owen), a dermatologist.

Dan invites Larry to meet “Anna” at an aquarium – Dan doesn’t show up, of course, but the real Anna coincidentally does, and she’s taken with Larry even after she learns the unconventional circumstances behind their meeting.

Larry and Anna eventually marry, but there’s a bubbling sexual undercurrent between Anna and Dan that culminates in betrayal – and a painful scene where Larry forces his wife to detail her infidelities in brutal detail.

When Anna leaves him for Dan, who kicks poor Alice out, Larry mounts a ruthless and diabolical revenge scheme.

These men behaving extremely badly somewhat recall Nichols’ “Carnal Knowledge,” but the sheer shallowness, selfishness and misogyny of the characters are closer to the films and plays of Neil LaBute.

The movie is dominated by Owen, who played Dan onstage in London and who finally comes into his own as a full-fledged movie star here in the showier and nastier role of Larry.

Roberts, who has gone blond for the role, effectively underplays the brittle Anna.

Portman gives an emotionally – and physically, though her full-frontal scenes were cut – naked performance in her first truly grown-up role as Alice, who is taunted by Larry after going to work in a strip club.

The ubiquitous Law is appropriately despicable, though his amoral Larry is essentially a non-metrosexual version of Alfie.

“Closer” has a notably less devastating ending than on the stage – but it’s still the kind of date movie best recommended for those looking to end a relationship.